New Orleans mass shooting plan was thwarted by network of law enforcement. Here’s what we know

CNN

By Elizabeth Wolfe, Rebekah Riess, CNN

(CNN) — Law enforcement across three states thwarted the plans of an experienced former cop who they say expressed a desire to harm Black people and threatened to carry out a mass shooting at a New Orleans festival.

North Carolina resident Christopher Gillum, 45, was reported missing on Tuesday by his family, and police quickly learned he was armed and posed a possible risk to himself and others, the Burlington Police Department said.

The next day, Gillum was arrested more than 600 miles away in Florida on a charge from Louisiana police of making terroristic threats.

“Authorities obtained information Gillum planned to travel to a festival in New Orleans to conduct a mass shooting and then commit suicide by cop,” said the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, which arrested Gillum.

It is still unclear how authorities found out about the alleged plot, the details of the threat, and what may have motivated the law enforcement veteran with more than a decade of policing experience.

While authorities have not confirmed which festival Gillum may have been targeting, his arrest came just one day before the city of New Orleans commenced its annual Jazz & Heritage Festival, which attracts about 400,000 attendees each year. Louisiana State Police have said they are not aware of other credible threats, but the city of New Orleans and its residents are distinctly aware of the reality of public attacks. Another planned attack of the city was thwarted in December, almost a year after a deadly attack killed 14 people in the French Quarter.

Gillum now awaits extradition from Florida to Louisiana. Here’s what we know:

Veteran officer reported missing

Gillum’s family had reported him missing Tuesday, Lt. Clint Lyons of the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina told The Associated Press. Lyons noted Gillum has a history of self-harm.

His family indicated he had a Glock handgun and had expressed interest in harming Black people, a law enforcement official told CNN.

Despite his comments about Black people, Lyons told the AP there were no criminal grounds to detain Gillum at the time “because there was no victim.”

Gillum had left the state before police could draft paperwork to involuntarily commit him for psychiatric treatment, Lyons said.

Investigators in Alamance County contacted police in the city of Burlington Tuesday to alert them of the case. As the investigation progressed, authorities “developed reasons to believe Christopher Gillum was a danger to himself and others,” the Burlington Police Department said in a release.

Investigators used license plate readers to determine Gillum was traveling to Florida and began contacting other law enforcement agencies to try to locate him, Burlington Police said. They began disseminating an intelligence bulletin to agencies including Louisiana State Police and New Orleans Police Department.

Hundreds of ammunition rounds found

Investigators used a vast network of FLOCK license plate reader technology to locate Gillum at a hotel in Destin, Florida, where he was arrested Wednesday night, investigators said.

After his arrest, deputies discovered a handgun and about 200 rounds of ammunition in Gillum’s hotel room, according to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, which oversees Destin.

It is unclear at what point Louisiana officials became aware of the potential mass shooting plot or when the charges were brought against him. CNN has been unable to determine whether Gillum has an attorney.

Louisiana State Police said the investigation is still in its early stages and will be done in coordination with the FBI. The state agency declined to share more details “to avoid compromising the investigation.”

“At this time, there are no known direct threats to any festivals in Louisiana,” Louisiana State Police Sgt. Ross Brennan said in a statement. “The investigation remains ongoing, and the credibility of any potential threats, past or present, is part of the investigative process.”

Suspect served 3 police agencies

Gillum had worked for at least three law enforcement agencies in North Carolina between 2004 and 2025, according to his employers.

Most of his career was spent as a police officer in Chapel Hill from 2004 to 2019, when he resigned and took a job as an officer about three hours away with the Carolina Beach Police Department. He spent a year working for the Carolina Beach department.

It is unclear where or if Gillum worked for the next few years, but in late 2023, he joined the Orange County Sheriff’s Office as a detention officer and left the job in July 2024, said Alicia Stemper, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office. Gillum then returned to the Chapel Hill police department as a non-sworn employee before leaving for another job by the end of that year, Alex Carrasquillo, communications manager for the Town of Chapel Hill, told CNN.

Gillum was hired again by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in January of last year, this time as a deputy, but resigned in September, Stemper said.

Attacks put city on high alert

New Orleans has strengthened public safety measures over the past year — particularly around large public gatherings — since a deadly truck ramming killed 14 people during a New Year’s celebration.

The terror attack struck at the city’s lively Bourbon Street and raised questions about how the city had secured the popular area and how a large box-truck had been able to drive through the pedestrian-heavy district on one of the biggest nights of the year. A report released by the New Orleans Police and Justice Foundation recommended most of Bourbon Street should be closed off to vehicles, creating a permanent pedestrian plaza.

Law enforcement has not confirmed which festival Gillum allegedly intended to target, but Matthew Goldman, press and advertising director for Jazz Fest, said organizers were “grateful to all law enforcement partners for their dedication and exceptional service in protecting our community” in a statement to CNN affiliate WVUE sent after Gillum’s arrest.

This weekend’s Jazz Fest will be held at the Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, about 2.5 miles from Bourbon Street and the city’s French Quarter.

Just four months ago, another plan to strike at New Orleans residents was foiled by law enforcement.

An ex-Marine was arrested in December while on his way to carry out an attack in the city, according to court filings at the time. The suspect was tied to an anti-government group and believed it was time to “recreate” Waco, authorities said.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry told CNN affiliate WDSU his administration has taken the “protection” around the city of New Orleans as “extremely important” since the New Year’s terror attack.

The thwarted attack, Landry said Thursday, shows authorities “have the resources necessary to make sure that we get accurate intelligence and then we act on it.”

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